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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30042549">Don't Suffer Alone</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironhoshi/pseuds/ironhoshi'>ironhoshi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Boba and Boba surely can't be a bad idea, But not too late to cause some chaos, Canon-Typical Violence, Exhausted Space Dad Din Djarin, Just two time traveled people making Din's laugh hard, Luke started off on the wrong foot, M/M, Public Display of Affection, There is always a battle to fight, Too late to Fix-It</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:41:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30042549</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironhoshi/pseuds/ironhoshi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The very air was pulsing like a mockery of a heartbeat. One painful squeeze and then a loud pop caused his eardrums to throb suddenly. </p><p>Din thought he saw screaming stars or the beginning of hyperspace travel.</p><p>A Mandalorian appeared out of thin air. The armor was painfully familiar, in fact, he was positive he had that same set in worse condition back on the <i>Crest</i>- his thoughts stopped as a second person appeared. Shocking red hair that clashed with a white and yellow poncho.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Boba Fett/Cal Kestis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>271</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, time travel is like my favorite trope and most of the ones I see are about going back in time. I had the idea of going forward in time- <br/>I present poor Din having to deal with a younger Boba and Cal. Older Boba and Fennec are both going to have to deal with this chaos as well. </p><p>Anyway, please enjoy~!</p><p>(I joked with my riduur that one WIP left and another moved right in. T_T it is so freaking true though. Sigh.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Things were going wrong fast. It was par for the course really, his luck had been questionable for a while. The Galaxy was just out to get him all because he was determined to protect the kid. He wouldn't do it any other way, honest, but he wouldn't have minded a slight break. Just a chance for them to relax. Despite his wishes, things were going wrong in a whole new way.</p><p>Take the kid to Tython, Tano had said. A Jedi will answer, she had said. </p><p>All Din knew was that he was facing off against a bounty hunter he didn’t recognize. Well, he assumed he was a bounty hunter from the way he carried himself. Skin was puckered and taut from scars. The glint in those eyes was serious and calculating. One wrong move and they'd be in a shoot-off. The person in front of him knew how to use a weapon, he could just sense that. </p><p>“I want my armor,” they repeated again. More was said, but he wasn't exactly paying attention. No, Din remained silent, thoughts stuck on the kid. Most likely a mistake. He couldn't help it though, no, he was worried. Grogu was doing the weird space magic to try and get a teacher. Would they take his kid away? He blanched under his helmet. Grogu was his, his ad, but he knew what he had to do. The kid needed training. Powerful, dangerous, couldn't be left unchecked.</p><p>“Are you listening?” The voice was growing rougher with each word. Clear lack of use was wearing at the vocal cords. </p><p>He tilted his helmet just a fraction to show he needed whatever was said to be repeated. Annoyance flickered across the marred face, but before the other could answer another voice cut in.</p><p>“Boba! We’ve got company,” Fennec yelled from above them. Din blinked and glanced upward. Ships dotted the sky and grew rapidly. Those were the type that carried troops. Osik. That was some seriously unwanted company.</p><p>“I don’t have time for this,” he blurted out. He needed to get back to Grogu. Was the kid even done doing whatever he was doing? The first ship landed. Stark white armor erupted out of the belly like maggots. Unwanted and vile. Troopers. “I need to protect-”</p><p>“I know. Where is my armor?”</p><p>Din threw a look towards the man. Already his head was trying to turn back towards the hilltop his ad sat on, undefended. “On my ship. If it isn’t actually yours-” The bounty hunter was already turning while blaster fire lit up the area. So much for delivering a threat and a promise. It didn't matter, he'd deal with the Boba person later. He needed to get back to Grogu. He spun, ready to run up the rocky hillside, when <i>it</i> happened. The strange glowy light that shot towards the sky fluctuated hard, like a hyperdrive about to implode, and then he tasted pure ozone. Sparks of pure white shattered around swirling blue.</p><p>“Grogu,” he yelled. </p><p>The troopers were meeting their match behind him, he could hear the sounds of battle, but his gaze was fixed on what was happening above his kid. His gut told him it was important, that whatever it was would change everything. Unease rocked through him. Would it change for the worse? How much would his bad luck twist this event? The very air was pulsing like a mockery of a heartbeat. One painful squeeze and then a loud pop caused his eardrums to throb suddenly. </p><p>Din thought he saw screaming stars or the beginning of hyperspace travel. </p><p>A Mandalorian appeared out of thin air. The armor was painfully familiar, in fact, he was positive he had that same set in worse condition back on the <i>Crest</i>- his thoughts stopped as a second person appeared. Shocking red hair that clashed with a white and yellow poncho. Most of the poncho was a shade of yellow, but there was a deep V design in the white. He could spot pieces of armor that matched, but not a full set. Wait, was that a small droid latched onto their back?</p><p>Two Mandalorians? </p><p>The first one, in full armor, managed to turn their jetpack on so they didn’t fall hard, but the second one just sort of landed like they were suddenly as light as a leaf. </p><p>Grogu toppled sideways and Din’s heart constricted. The Mandalorian in the poncho lunged, catching the kid before he could fall to the stone below. A sigh of relief escaped him but was quickly replaced by a tendril of fear. Would they hurt his kid? </p><p>“Whoa,” the helmetless one breathed out.</p><p>“Stop messing around,” a modulated voice snapped. “This is somehow your fault-”</p><p>“More like your fault, Fett. I told you not to grab that amulet.” Din moved closer, hand moving to his blaster, but his gaze was fixed solely on his kid. </p><p>“Put my kid down,” he bit out. Wide, surprised eyes fixed on him. He could sense another gaze as well, hidden behind a helmet. Judging. The exposed face was expressive while the owner clearly tried to solve some sort of riddle. An old scar slashed across the pale face and Din had the feeling that they had failed to dodge a well-placed blaster bolt. A flinch, a bare hand pressed to his kid’s head, and then the stranger was racing past him. Grogu suddenly in his arms. Din blinked in confusion. The other Mandalorian zipped past as well, yelling after the first. </p><p>“Plan?” the modulated voice called out.</p><p>“What else? Fight the Imps and win,” came the cheeky response. </p><p>“Bad plan. We don’t even know where we are-”</p><p>Din clutched Grogu to his chest, protectively, and fought to look away from his sleeping child. The way the clothing moved let him know his kid was still breathing. That was some relief. Passed out again. He brushed a thumb over the child's forehead while relief coursed through his body. Grogu was safe for the moment. </p><p>A familiar sound caught his ears. A snap and a hiss. Fennec shouted something, the bounty hunter made a crude noise, and then the screaming started. He glanced up from Grogu and felt his heart hammer hard behind his ribs. Go to Tython, Tano had said. A Jedi will hopefully answer, she had said. His eyes widened. The second Mandalorian was wielding a double-edged lasersword with deadly accuracy. Their movements flowed while being brutal at the same time. A violent dance. The troopers didn't stand a chance. </p><p>He was watching a one-sided slaughter and it was gorgeous.</p><p>“Six,” they called out as another trooper crumbled to the ground, armor scorched with an angry blackened welt.</p><p>“Cheater,” the Mandalorian retorted before sweeping the area in front of him with fire. “Four.” </p><p>Din felt his gaze shift towards the bounty hunter. The man was crushing a helmet underneath his weapon. The dented and faded helmet seemed to be tracking the new arrivals, cautious but not outright hostile. Relations perhaps? The armor looked similar. He didn't care, no, this had nothing to do with him. He needed to make sure Grogu got back to his own people-</p><p>Hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he spun, ready to greet whatever strangeness was happening now. </p><p>A mistake. </p><p>The sudden loud explosion had him twisting mid-turn, muscles screaming in his side and back at the suddenness of it all, and he caught the end of the inferno that swallowed his ship- his home. Grogu didn’t even wake. No! Something hard slammed into the middle of his back, sending him sprawling. Din tried to fall in such a way that he didn’t land on his kid. Everything hurt for a moment. His ears rang and the HUD on his helmet flickered dangerously for a moment. What the kark had hit him? </p><p>Mechanical, humanoid, cold. Those hands snatched his son from his grip while a boot held him down. Was it a boot though? </p><p>“Gro...gu,” he wheezed out. It felt like his inside had been compacted. From the corner of his vision, he could see the poncho wearing warrior spin. The double-edged blade suddenly twisted apart into two, pink slicing into the ground around those not quite beskar boots. Plastoid maybe? The yellow markings were fading and the white was tinged with age. His eyes widened under his helmet when the stranger vaulted far higher and further than he had ever seen anyone do without the aid of a jetpack. The blades slashed down hard through one of the hulking dark troopers and then the droid was screeching.</p><p>Din winced as a second one of the dark troopers managed to clip the stranger in the side before their boots could even touch the ground. They landed hard and lurched to the side, their one gloved hand moving to press against ribs beneath the poncho.</p><p>“You di’kut,” the Mandalorian screamed even while turning to race up the hill. </p><p>The sound of repulsers going off filled his ears. Smaller, most likely on boots. What were those creations underneath the trooper casing? That wasn’t important, no, he needed to get Grogu- He winced and struggled to stand now that his back was suddenly lighter. Each jerky movement made his muscle spasm and scream. He could do this. He could get up.</p><p>“Later.” The stranger’s voice rattled faintly. The punch to the side must have fractured something. A clear sign they weren't wearing a proper breastplate under that poncho. Din didn’t have time to worry about that, no, he needed to- His heart sank when he glanced up to see the troopers becoming specks. They were the size of a small bird now and shrinking. They moved fast. </p><p>Engines pulsed to life and then the bounty hunter’s ship was taking off. </p><p>“They’ve got the kid,” he snapped at Fennec, fear chasing the tail end of his words. She gave a jerky nod, hand rising to her ear comm. She relayed the message while her gaze was focused on the Mandalorian fusing over the stranger that was bent over in what was probably a lot of pain. </p><p>“Stop, I'm fine, go after-” </p><p>“Are you insane, someone already is going after them,” the Mandalorian bit out. The venom and anger was something even Din felt in his bones. His hands clenched into fists, watching the strangers out of the corner of his vision. Grogu....he had failed Grogu. “BD, stim, now, before he passes out.” A trill of confirmation. </p><p>“I’m fine.” A dismissive hand was waved through the air. “Just caught me off guard. Didn’t know they were going to punch like a kriffing jotaz. That was like Zeffo all over again. Seriously, get the youngling back-”</p><p>All sound seemed to vanish while he watched the Imperial ship vanish from the horizon. </p><p>Well, kark.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Briiip?” </p><p>The droid.</p><p>“Go away,” he said softly. </p><p>“Bwooop beowp.” The droid spun around in place before wiggling. Well, someone had a strange personality chip it seemed.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Have some more Din being confused!! He just wants his kid back and has to deal with such weirdness. <br/>Sigh.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fennec had her blaster rifle half pointed at the two new arrivals and Din could spot the way her normal calm was slowly cracking. Her gaze was fixed on the familiar armor. He didn’t have time to think about that. No, he ignored everyone while pushed ash aside. His home- <i>their</i> home  was destroyed. Weapons, datapads, all of it just gone with a single shot. Grogu's makeshift toys were nothing now. Gone, like his kid. He knelt down, knees creaking in protest, and pushed a hunk of debris aside. There in the midst of all of it was a glinting orb. The ability to have a heartbeat just stopped for one painful second. </p><p>The kid loved that stupid thing. </p><p>Din snagged it between his gloved fingers. Somehow untarnished. He rolled it between his fingers while he felt a familiar stinging sensation in his eyes. The kid had stolen this so many times, even used that weird space magic over it, but now he was without it and that made him painfully angry. How dare they! He tightened his grip on the ball before moving to secure it in a belt pouch. When he got Grogu back he was going to give the kid the ball. He could keep the last piece of the <i>Crest.</i> He only stopped searching through the debris of his most loyal companion when he found the spear. </p><p>This was all he had left.</p><p>Boba and Fennec were standing side by side by the time he started walking back to the group, the beat-up armor on the bounty hunter now. Din could see the clear resemblance. Yeah, that was the same set somehow. </p><p>“We’ll help you get the kid back,” Boba’s gruff voice informed him. “These two will help as well.”</p><p>“You can’t just volunteer us,” the fully armored Mandalorian started to argue.</p><p>“Fett,” the other one wheezed out, the pain still evident in that voice. A gloved hand grabbed an arm and yanked the hot head closer to him. Smart. Fennec had raised her rifle slightly but lowered it at once when the Mandalorian stumbled ungracefully into the laser sword wielder. “We will help. We can’t leave those Imps with the youngling. Kote will have our heads-”</p><p>Kote? Din blinked and tilted his head slightly to the side. The way Boba tensed left him feeling confused. There was a story there, but he didn’t have time for stories. He just cared about getting Grogu back. </p><p>“Everyone, my ship, now. We will talk when we are safely in hyperspace.” </p><p>Despite Boba saying that Din was hardly surprised when they didn’t all talk once aboard. Fennec vanished with the poncho wearer and Boba vanished with the other Mandalorian. He was left sitting there, alone and awkward, while the ship took off. His stomach did the uncomfortable lurch that heralded the knowledge that they had broken atmo. That sensation was always worse when he was a passenger versus the pilot. Was Grogu's stomach okay wherever he was? Were they feeding him? He didn’t have time to dwell on that thanks to the fact Boba sent the young Mandalorian back towards him. </p><p>“Don’t mess this up, kid.” Din’s eyebrows climbed beneath his helmet at the rude gesture the strange Mandalorian made back towards the cockpit. That was something he would never have dreamt of doing towards an elder. He shifted his head just enough to give the ‘kid’ his attention. The armor was adorned in greens and reds, but there was a strange thin line of yellow following along the left side of the T-visor. That yellow, he bet, matched the yellow the poncho kid sported. </p><p>“Come on, time to play guard and make sure we don’t steal the ship.” The disdain and annoyance that dripped off those words actually made his lips twitch with amusement. “Old man’s orders.” </p><p>He inclined his head in agreement and unbuckled himself from his seat. He followed after the stranger silently. They moved through the ship like they had spent their whole lives on the thing. His brows knit together as he stared at the back of the helmet in front of him. Who were they? They just seemed like they belonged in this strange space. The trip was short and soon enough he could make out the faint smell of disinfectant. They'd arrived.</p><p>“He wants you with him. This one is supposed to watch us,” Fett pointed over his shoulder at Din. Fennec gave them both a searching look, clearly trying to decide if she wanted to believe the words or not. Fett sigh was loud enough for it to be heard outside the helmet. Sullen and annoyed. Din pursed his lips together and barely managed to keep a sound of amusement in. “I swear on my vode that I am not pulling a fast one. Old man can explain.”</p><p>“Alright, but if this is a trick, I’ll be back.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” A hand was waved dismissively through the air and Fennec leveled a very unimpressed look at Fett. Fennec finally left with a final glance over her shoulder. She gave Din a faint nod, which he returned without a second thought, and then he was left with the two strangers that had appeared on Tython. He shifted further into the small room and leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on them and the one means of escape. Fett helped the injured one remove the poncho with clear practice. How many times had they done this same thing?</p><p>“You get me into the weirdest situations, Cal.” The words were low, but he still heard them. The intimacy left him shifting his gaze more fully on the door, something he was glad for when pieces of the white and yellow armor started to be removed carefully. The sound of them being stacked up neatly made his cheeks heat up a fraction. </p><p>“This one isn’t on me. Did you talk to-”</p><p>“I did, we will debrief later, lek?” A nod and a wince. Din narrowed his eyes as he finally glanced at Cal. He took in the chest armor and realized his earlier thought was right. That wasn’t any sort of actual armor. No, that was something riggers or scrappers used. Hardly protective, but held the necessary rings for safety lines to be attached. Fingers moved quickly to release snaps while the redhead made a sound of discomfort. Din glanced down when something bumped into the toe of his boot rather suddenly.</p><p>“Briiip?” </p><p>The droid.</p><p>“Go away,” he said softly. </p><p>“Bwooop beowp.” The droid spun around in place before wiggling. Well, someone had a strange personality chip it seemed.</p><p>“BD, buddy,” Cal called out. “Go stand guard.” The droid glanced around for a second before bolting out of the room. Din was pretty sure he heard some things being knocked over and faint sounds of amusement. He was going to ignore that. Yeah, better to ignore the tiny droid exploring the ship outside the room. The pop of a container being open pulled his attention fully back to the strangers. A deep yellow and green inched outward from a central point on Cal's side. Din felt a mild pang of sympathy. The instant bruise had to hurt, but the young adult was just sitting there with a look of annoyance on his face while the bacta injector went off. </p><p>High pain tolerance? </p><p>"I swear," Fett grumbled, "you don't even try to dodge sometimes."</p><p>"I have to give you a reason to worry," Cal teased easily. Din faintly wondered if he should just leave the small medbay. Boba had told him to watch the new arrivals, but now he felt like he was lurking. He was witnessing a moment he shouldn't. His thought was only confirmed when Fett reached up and carefully removed his helmet. Dark curls were pinned back in a sort of braid at the top, while the sides were buzzed tight. The helmet paused in its descent to sit next to Cal and Fett cast him a strange look. </p><p>Message received. </p><p>He made a point of shifting his head enough that it looked like he was staring intently at the wall. A snort of amusement escaped Fett, most likely because he knew Din was still watching them. </p><p>“Did you try hailing the <i>Mantis</i>?”</p><p>“I did, but…”</p><p>“Then the geezer in the cockpit didn’t lie. Kriff,” Boba breathed out before pressing his forehead to Cal’s. The other flushed faintly before reaching up with an arm to rest a hand carefully on the back of Fett’s neck. </p><p>“We can worry about that later. We did promise to help find the youngling," Cal said in a soft tone. Both of them shifted, foreheads still pressed together, to gaze at Din. That was oddly unsettling for some reason. They both had these intense gazes that did not match the young faces. Sure, they both sported various scars and signs of battle, but they were still way younger than him. He wanted to wrap them both up in a blanket and let them eat cookies with Grogu. Wait, where had that urge come from? </p><p>“Grogu. His name his Grogu.”</p><p>Cal opened his mouth, clearly ready to say something, but Fett moved quickly. A gloved hand covered the lower face and the redhead adopted a look of pure annoyance. They were so odd. He knew they could fight and clearly showed the ability to adapt when a situation changed, but right now they reminded him even more of children. </p><p>“Mando,” Fennec’s voice called out. “Boba needs you for a moment.”</p><p>He glanced towards the door, eyes widening in confusion. They were just going to leave these two alone? </p><p>A gloved hand rested possessively on a knee and Din decided that it was actually a great idea to leave those two alone. He turned quickly and did his best not to run from the room. The sound of laughter that followed after him was like warm sunlight, not mean, but comforting, and yet he knew it was because he had escaped so quickly. Such open signs of affection simply left him feeling just a tad off-kilter. </p><p>Fennec gave him a knowing look as he passed her on the way to the cockpit. He cast a glance at her, trying to figure out why, but didn’t dwell on it too long. Whatever strangeness was going on had to wait to be revealed, his only concern was the kid. </p><p>He had to get Grogu back.</p><p>“You got here quick,” Boba said in an offhanded way while toying with a screen when Din finally found himself securing himself to the co-pilot's seat. He merely made a sound of indifference in response. “They torment you?” Silence rang about between them and then the bounty hunter actually let out a deep belly laugh. </p><p>“You know them?” </p><p>“Something like that. Fett is trustworthy, same Clan as me.” </p><p>Aliit then. Din chewed on his lower lip while he rolled that bit of information over in his head. He knew some of the Covert did tend to act a bit brash towards each other, never outright malicious, and that was a mimicry of what he had witnessed earlier. How many times had he wanted to make a rude gesture at Paz? </p><p>“Stop thinking so hard, I can feel it.” Din blinked and turned his head slowly towards Boba. He was pretty sure that was just some strange figure of speech. “We need to come up with a plan to get the kid back, yeah? Fennec, Cal, Jaster, and I will help.”</p><p>“Jaster?”</p><p>“The Mandalorian. Did you think his name was Fett? That’d be a real dumb name, wouldn’t it? Fett Fett.” A snort of disgust left Boba. Something had clearly brought that indignation up, but he didn’t know what. Din didn’t want to admit that there may have been a slight moment where had thought Fett was the young man’s name. In his defense, Cal did keep calling him that. </p><p>“...right.”</p><p>“Alright, beroya, this is your hunt. Where to first?” </p><p>“Nevarro.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know there might be some "WHAT DID BOBA AND BOBA TALK ABOUT?" but it shall be explained!</p><p>Also, thank for the encouraging comments. I love comments. I know I don't always answer them in a timely manner, or at all, but I enjoy seeing them. I hold them, cherish them, and smile at them like they are a ring that will drive me to madness.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He managed to keep a steady grip while he pressed his lightsaber against the edge of the shockingly small cuffs. The things had to have been custom made and he was mildly impressed. Someone, Gideon most likely, had really gone out of his way to be a new level villain. Who ran around with such tiny cuffs? Unless they were for like Jawas- no, they didn't have wrists that tiny. Yeah, these were custom-made.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one moves fast because I am not rehashing a bunch of canon.<br/>Hope you enjoy it! (Also, reminder that bbBoba is now going by Jaster.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were times where he wished his poncho was bigger so he could just sort of squat down and hide inside of it like a youngling. A traveling comfort blanket to hide under. He never actually would, honest, but the urge is strong while Mando's friend leveled him with a seriously unimpressed look. She might be judging Boba- no, Jaster, he had to remember it was Jaster now, but it felt more like she was judging him. Old Boba had suggested getting him a mask of sorts and now Cal was wondering if he should. At the time he joked the galaxy shouldn't be robbed of his pretty face, now he had mild regrets. Fennec had smacked him upside the head and told him to go stop his droid from breaking things. </p><p>Fennec had somehow decided to take up an exasperated stance when it came to him, something Jaster thought was hilarious. </p><p>"Adopt another kid?" Cara's smirk made Cal bristle. </p><p>He wasn't a kid! He struggled against making a face of annoyance. Okay, yeah. Maybe the mask was a good idea. With a mask he could make all the faces he wanted. Yeah, definitely should have let Old Boba give him a mask. </p><p>"No. Just made some...friends." Mando always sounded so indifferent, but he could pick up just a faint feeling of discomfort in the air. Cal did his best to look unphased. The problem wasn't sure if the discomfort was at having extra people around or at something else. Most likely something else, but a part of him whispered the older Mandalorian was uncomfortable with having to drag them around. Ever since finding out he had time-traveled with Jaster things had just been off in his head. Well, his emotions were flaring up left and right was a better way to describe the feeling. Boba and Fennec had filled them in on how everything continued to go wrong in the Galaxy. He wasn't a fan.</p><p>A gloved hand landed on his shoulder and he watched the way Cara tracked the motion like a hunter. Jaster squeezed possessively. An eyebrow inched upward while that smirk grew. </p><p>"I need a favor." Back to business it seemed. </p><p>Good.</p><p>"What do you need?" Her gaze went back to Mando while she crossed her arms over her chest. </p><p>"I need to spring a prisoner."</p><p>And that's when things got just a little too technical for Cal. Large, detailed plans were not his thing. Why couldn't he have been left on the ship with Old Boba and Fennec? Actually- he started to take a step back and his ear comm crackled to life.</p><p>"You leave me here with them and you won't have covers tonight." Cal managed to keep a straight face. "You can actually sleep on the floor. Alone."</p><p>Jaster was a real bastard sometimes. </p><p>He settled on leaning back just a fraction against Jaster. That shiny helmet of Mando's shifted just a fraction towards them before swiveling to focus fully on Cara. The guy really was awkward around them for some reason. He shifted just enough to hook his fingers through Jaster's belt, testing the theory, and ended up having to bite back a laugh when Mando visibly tensed. </p><p>In the end, Mando convinced Cara to help rescue the kid. They all trudged back to the ship in a strange silence, Cara walking behind them like she didn't trust them not to run. The sensation was strange. He knew they didn't know each other, but she was certainly trying to figure him and Jaster out. Her gaze was like blaster bolts between his shoulder blades. Cal barely stepped inside before Fennec was grabbing his arm and yanking him off for yet another talk. The relief of being pulled away from an awkward situation was short-lived when he saw the look on her face. Jaster had merely given a mocking salute of goodbye while Fennec marched him farther into the ship. They were both agitated, not quite knowing where to step in this new time. Little things the others said made him believe that not only were they out of time, but they were also from a different version of the galaxy entirely. Whole thing was messed up, but it didn't matter. They had a youngling to rescue. Cal was just going to focus on finding Grogu and then he could let himself fall apart. </p><p>"Show me again where you had safe houses," Fennec ordered. Cal sighed. The question on his lips was one that was sullen- why couldn't Jaster do this? He knew the answer without asking. The bounty hunter was trying to figure him out. He was the unknown variable. That was how he found himself stuck with her while they traveled to go spring some prisoner. He was actually paired up with her for the whole mission and by the time they were flying away from the exploding base, he felt like he wanted to climb the walls to get rid of some energy.</p><p>Fennec had, at least, moved past exasperated and shifted into a more annoying aunt role. </p><p>He was growing antsy.</p><p>Not being in the middle of things just annoyed him for some reason. Jaster teased him in a reassuring way, but it made him sulk harder. Jaster at least got to do things with Boba, even if it was to copilot.</p><p>Cere would have told him to mind his emotions.</p><p>He was trying, honest, but things just never seemed to slow down enough for him to meditate on them. </p><p>The bad mood was finally shoved aside when they teamed up with Bo-Katan. </p><p>Jaster was the one that Fennec had to watch after that. Cal got it. He was up there on wanting to punch the Mandalorian stuck-up princess as well. She had looked at Boba and sneered. Her clear discriminatory view of the vode left a sour taste in his mouth. She had looked at him and he saw the way she found him lacking in her eyes. She didn't even know he was Jedi, at least he didn't think she knew, but she looked disgusted at the pieces of armor he wore. Her smug dislike only grew when she got a glimpse of Jaster.</p><p>"I'm going with!" Cal winced at how his voice raised slightly. Frustration seeping in like an infection. Din just tilted his helmet slightly but made no move to enter the argument. Jaster merely stretched his legs out and waited to watch the explosion about to happen.</p><p>"You think just because you have some salvaged armor that you can stand against the Empire on that ship? You are clearly some boy pretending at being a freedom fighter," Bo-Katan retorted coldly. A snort of laughter escaped Jaster. His lips twitched. The di'kut had clearly let it escape his helmet just to annoy the bigot in front of them. It worked. Hot annoyance danced across her features.</p><p>"I can handle myself and I am not pretending to be anything." He forced his voice to a level of calm he hadn't quite reached yet. Cere would have been sighing at his lack of control. "I am going with."</p><p>"You'll only get in the way." Bo-Katan wasn't backing down at all. </p><p>And then it happened, something he wasn't expecting. "He can come with me," Din said softly. Everyone turned to look at the man in surprise. "He can watch my back."</p><p>"I go with Cal," Jaster drawled out. </p><p>"If we are all done arguing, we have a job to do," Boba finally drawled out.</p><p>And technically Jaster did go along with Cal, but he broke off to take the main deck with Cara, Bo-Katan, and Koska. Cal was left trailing behind Mando like some sort of lost strill pup. The stolen Imperial ship taunting him. He wanted to yank it apart and see how much the manufacturing had changed. He doubted he'd have time to go back and admire the guts of that transport. A pity. </p><p>Wait, no, he needed to focus. </p><p>He could get his hands dirty inside a ship later.</p><p>Grogu came first.</p><p>It was like everything had a way of going somewhat wrong around the Mandalorian cased in so much beskar. The galaxy really wanted to kark the guy over. Which, if he was being honest, was kind of a nice break. The galaxy wasn't trying to kark him over now, no, he was just along for the ride as someone else dealt with bad luck. Cal slipped past Moff Gideon to get at the small youngling. He managed to keep a steady grip while he pressed his lightsaber against the edge of the shockingly small cuffs. The things had to have been custom made and he was mildly impressed. Someone, Gideon most likely, had really gone out of his way to be a new level villain. Who ran around with such tiny cuffs? Unless they were for like Jawas- no, they didn't have wrists that tiny. Yeah, these were custom-made.</p><p>He slipped his lightsaber back into the back holster once the cuffs fell away, edges near molten, and focused solely on the person he was helping rescue. </p><p>“Hey, hey, I got you,” he breathed out. The sound of battle in the hallway filled his ears while Grogu groggily focused on him. He pushed a bit of energy at the small child and bit back a yelp. Green flew through the air. The kid was a sea barnacle, at least part of one, that was the only explanation. Cal wanted to help Din fight Gideon, but instead, he had claws digging into his upper arm. "Grogu," he said in a panicked voice, "please. Not so tight!" He tried to pry the kid free and earned himself a hard slap against his shields. "If you let me put you down I can help your dad-" </p><p>Grogu bombarded his mind with the idea that his buir was the best and would be fine. Also, did he have any snacks? </p><p>Cal squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and was thankful that Jaster was securing the deck. "I have like a protein bar-" A weak tug in the Force. Oh, the kid was still recovering. "Wait, hang on. I can help. I think." He shouldn't have let BD go have fun with the boarding party. He needed the back up. He dug in his belt pouch and yanked free the promised protein bar. Using his teeth he ripped the wrapper open and held the dry tasting thing out to the kid. Grogu took it with a hand, wrapper crinkling loudly.  A sound of displeasure escaped around a mouthful of food. </p><p>“Yeah, I know, buddy. Tastes like disappointment. We can get you something better later.” Large ears seemed to perk up while Grogu seemed to squirm harder into his side. The sounds of battle ended and then footsteps were entering the cell. Cal almost reached for his saber, but a feeling of intoxicating happiness flooded his mind. Oh, the kid’s dad was here. He glanced over at Din and felt his gaze drawn to the object he was holding.</p><p>Cal burst out laughing before he could help himself. Jaster was going to lose it when he saw that hilt. </p><p>The helmet cocked ever so slightly in an inquisitive manner and Cal quickly waved his free hand through the air. He wasn’t going to answer. He’d let someone else do that. “Nothing. We should head to the others?” Grogu squirmed, straining towards Din, and Cal handed the boy over without a second thought. Once his hands were free he set about making sure Moff Gideon wasn’t going to run away. </p><p>Things after that went about how they normally did- strangely. The real highlight of the whole fiasco, besides finally getting to sit in a seat with Grogu in his lap, was watching Jaster absolutely lose it when Mando tried to just hand the Darksaber over to Bo-Katan while stating he didn’t want it. Cal’s lips curled in amusement while he watched Jaster practically double over at the waist, hand on Cara’s arm while he laughed loudly. That was the most carefree he had seen his cyare in a long time, life in the rebellion didn't leave much space for moments of unbridled amusement. Bo-Katan looked like she wanted to murder everyone. Her anger saturated the air, making Cal shift in the seat uncomfortably. The sensation was so strong he almost missed the warning. He threw himself backward just in time, clutching Grogu tightly, and winced as his back hit the floor hard. Fire erupted up his spine. Air escaped him in a low whistle, rather like a broken kettle. There was a scorch mark where he had been sitting, an inch away from his foot that was still on the chair. Gideon never saw the end of a blaster coming from Cara, but the sound of it hitting his flesh filled the space. </p><p>Ow.</p><p>He was going to feel that in the morning.</p><p>Grogu made a strange chirping sound and was shockingly unphased by the near brush with death. He merely squished Cal’s cheeks between his hands while sending contentment at him. </p><p>“You both okay?” Mando looked down at them, helmet shifting to glance at the smoking seat. </p><p>“Perfectly fine,” Cal managed to say while Grogue squashed his cheeks again. Something witty was on the tip of his tongue, some remark that would make Jaster roll his eyes, but the chance shattered. A loud bang reverberated from the sealed blast door. Everyones’ attention shifted at once as another clang followed the first. </p><p>Oh, right, they had been a little distracted getting Grogu. They hadn’t spaced the dark troopers. Kark.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And now we can start crafting a whole new story!!! </p><p>I can't wait to see what you all think &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Grogu half paid attention, small hands gripping Cal's pant leg. The older boy was whispering something, something Din couldn’t hear, but Grogu’s ears were perked upward. Hanging on every single word. </p><p>Strange.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm glad I had this mostly done cause oof. I am exhausted today. T_T I am ready for all the naps. </p><p>A new challenger has appeared~!!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If Grogu hadn't been clinging to the younger Mandalorian jetii then Din was positive that the weapon in his hand would be lit. Instead, Cal seemed torn between racing into battle and staying next to his ad. Protecting the young was important. Din knew he wouldn't be much help against those monstrous droids, but he knew he could trust Grogu to Cal. The young warrior may have a tendency to leap into things, at least that’s what he gathered from what he had witnessed, but Cal knew how to protect himself and others. Grogu was safe enough.  His fingers clutched the reassuring beskar spear and he kept his gaze solely fixed on the flexing blast doors. Everything in him screamed to shift, to move, to take Grogu and hide- no, he couldn’t, he had to fight against that urge. They'd fight this threat together-</p><p>"Is that an X-Wing?" Cara's voice sounded shocked. </p><p>An X-Wing? What good would one ship do them now?</p><p>It turned out the occupant of the X-Wing could help a lot. They all watched the feeds while the stranger decimated the overpowered Imp droids. Grogu half paid attention, small hands gripping Cal's pant leg. The older boy was whispering something, something Din couldn’t hear, but Grogu’s ears were perked upward. Hanging on every single word. </p><p>Strange.</p><p>He thought it was actually a bit anticlimactic when the new arrival simply walked onto the deck with them. There was an attempt at dramatics as hands threw a hood back with clearly practiced ease and timing. Din couldn't help comparing that entrance to how Cal and Jaster had appeared out of thin air before taking down troopers. Violent, flashy, full of deadly smiles. </p><p>The person in front of him was...well, very serious. Monotone. </p><p>"Are you a Jedi," he found himself asking before he could stop himself. </p><p>"I am," the reply was polite and a bit amused. A stark difference to the violent efficiency that had just been displayed. Those warm eyes seemed to darken with emotion when they focused on Jaster. </p><p>Silence. Din glanced towards Grogu. If the kid gave him a sign- Grogu tugged at Cal's leg and the older boy flashed a warm smile towards his ad. </p><p>"Well, this awkward," Cara drawled out while shouldering her gun. Fennec snorted in agreement. Din sighed softly. He traveled with some strong idiots. </p><p>"I will take him with me, train him-"</p><p>A loud sound of disgust escaped Jaster and Din tilted his helmet towards him. The Jedi in front of them faltered slightly, gaze shifting yet again to Jaster. There was some sort of bad blood there, a story he didn't really care about knowing. It wasn't his concern unless it put Grogu in danger. </p><p>"-he is powerful, he will be better off with me." The astromech droid let out a noise and BD immediately responded. Din frowned. The atmosphere was drenched suddenly in tension. Everyone was just a step away from falling off an edge he hadn’t noticed before. </p><p>"What makes you so sure you are the appropriate teacher for him?" Jaster finally asked while shifting his grip on his blaster. Cal leaned down to one side, hand extended to Grogu. The small foundling took the chance to climb onto the warrior, not looking towards the new one. "Grogu is fine where he is. There is no reason to separate him from his buir," Jaster continued. </p><p>"I wouldn't expect you to understand, but this is how it needs to be done-"</p><p>"Wow," Cal blurted out in such a way that Din was positive the kid hadn't meant to speak. He shifted his stance enough to rest Grogu comfortably against his side. He noted that Cal made sure that the foundling had a full view of the room, facing forward; and didn’t hold him like some baby that didn’t need to see things. Huh. Everyone else just immediately treated Grogu like a baby, but not this person. "You are full of yourself." </p><p>The strange Jedi tensed. </p><p>"Why don't we all just calm down," Din found himself saying. He needed just a little more time to sort this new mess out. The young Mandalorians were hot-headed and clearly ready to fight the Jedi. Though, he pondered, wasn’t Cal technically a Jedi too?  "I'll call Boba back-"</p><p>"Boba is standing next to you," the Jedi blurted out in hot words. </p><p>The thoughts of Cal were forgotten as he felt a wave of confusion hit him. "No, that's Jaster. Boba's...something." Actually, now that he thought about it, Boba had never exactly said how they were related. Just that they were from the same Clan, which was enough, honest, but their armor was painfully similar- except for that marking of yellow on Jaster that matched Cal’s yellow.</p><p>"Nephew," Jaster drawled out, posture shifting to clearly annoyed as he spoke. Cal snickered, rather hard. Ah, another one of their jokes that no one else got. Great. Din pressed fingers to the forehead of his helmet and sighed loudly. This was not how he thought this mission was going to go. </p><p>"As I was saying," Din bit out. He just wanted to sit down, well that, and maybe do some quick first aid on himself. He had felt quite a few of those hits through his armor. The bruises had to be bad. "I am going to call Boba. Cal, Jaster, Fennec, the kid, and I guess the Jedi will go with Boba. The rest of you can sort out Gideon and this ship?"</p><p>"I'll call in a ride," Cara offered up. "You do what you need to, Mando." </p><p>Bo-Katan glanced at Cara, clearly ready to discuss something, but Din motioned for his group to move. They were going to have their conversation away from everyone else. Gideon would be in perfect hands and the matter of Grogu was more important. Cara would make sure the monster paid. "We can wait for our ride near your X-Wing."</p><p>Din glanced towards Grogu, debating if he should take the kid back when Cal made the decision for him. Suddenly a cooing bundle of ad was being dropped in his arms. Grogu looked immensely pleased. “Lead on!” </p><p>He inclined his helmet slightly to show he agreed with the young warrior. None of them spoke while walking through the carnage of circuitry and bent limbs. The Jedi had done thorough work, he had to admit that. </p><p>“I’ll stand guard, just in case.” Fennec peeled away from them, weapon in hand. That was fine. He knew she was giving them some privacy to discuss the matter of Grogu and training. </p><p>The rest of them hurried across the hanger to the stranger’s ship, but it wasn’t until they got to the X-Wing that he found himself wondering if the sandy-haired Jedi was an idiot. He stopped dead in his tracks, gaze stuck on the open cockpit. A strangled laugh escaped Jaster and he could hear Cal scolding him in a fake whisper. He moved his head just a fraction to cast a glance at the laser sword wielding menace. Their cheeks were turning a shade of red. Ah, they had realized they had done something stupid. Some intelligence then.</p><p>"Is that…"</p><p>"I kind of promised my sister I'd watch her kid and I knew he'd be safe…" The man had brought a literal child with him? BD chortled something out and he didn't need to look behind him to know that Cal was biting down on the back of his gloved hand to stop from laughing. </p><p>"Wow," Jaster finally breathed out. "I didn't realize all jettise were di'kute." </p><p>"Hey," Cal cried out in a mock offended tone. </p><p>"I said what I said. Alright, jetii, convince us why you know best when you left a karking kid alone in a ship." Din didn't say a word to stop Jaster's interrogation. He merely glanced slightly at Cal. The boy was toying with his vambrace and somehow standing between Jaster and the Jedi like he was on guard duty. He could practically see the energy wanting to escape him. Cal, he decided, definitely didn't like staying still. </p><p>"Look, what I said earlier… it wasn't exactly the greatest. I just didn't want to leave Ben alone so long-" Din might have imagined it, but he thought he saw both Jaster and Cal still slightly. "-and I might have come off kind of strong. He does need training and since I'm pretty much the only one who can do that…"</p><p>The words tapered off just as Cal twisted his upper body rather violently. The loud pop made Din's back twinge in sympathy. Cal froze after a moment and looked a little sheepish. "Sorry."</p><p>"Cal," Jaster just sighed out. "Every time."</p><p>"Do you guys… just not know what a Jedi is or do you just not care?" The stranger sounded confused and a tad bewildered. </p><p>"I am simply not impressed by ones that leave a kid unattended in a ship." Jaster shifted enough to grab Cal by the back of the poncho and yank him backward. The helmet ended up pressed against the side of the other's head. Din knew something was behind said over a comm, something he couldn't hear. He glanced down at Grogu and noticed that the kid was only watching the young Mandalorians with interest. Cal was strange. He fought with the weapons Tano did, but Din still kept thinking he belonged to the same Clan as the Fetts. He wasn't sure why. Was he a Jedi or not? Could he just train Grogu? He hadn’t offered, so maybe he just didn’t want to? </p><p>"Ben is fine," the stranger gestured to the cockpit. Small hands waved back excitedly. Din raised his eyebrows beneath his helmet. They were honestly lucky the kid hadn't turned the ship on or something. </p><p>"Wow," Cal said in an exaggerated way. The droids began talking rapidly at each other and he only caught a few words. "Look, I get you were trying to help Grogu, but-" </p><p>Grogu perked up, arms suddenly stretched out. What was going on? Din glanced down at him while mild curiosity coursed through him. There was this faint pressure and then a faint noise, Cal dropped his face into a gloved hand. There was a laser sword hilt clutched in his kid's hands, the hilt he was positive that had been hidden under the poncho the red-haired Mandalorian Jedi wore.</p><p>“That’s a lightsaber!” The stranger sounded offended, confused, and hopeful at the same time. </p><p>“And you’re suddenly a genius, Master Obvious,” Jaster said in a dry tone. </p><p>Din shifted his attention away from the strange Jedi and focused on Cal and Jaster. That helmet was still pressed close and a faint frown tugged at Cal’s lips. What was being said over the private channel? Green eyes focused on him as if he knew Din was starring and a sheepish look appeared. </p><p>“Grogu can’t go with you, I’m already training him,” Cal said while still looking at him. A plead, an apology. Din glanced down at Grogu, who glanced back up at him and just looked so trusting. Dank farrik.</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“What Cal said,” Din finally rumbled out. Delight erupted on his son's face. “If you want to help you can, but Grogu isn’t going with you. Cal is…” Grogu let out a loud coo and shook the lightsaber hilt. Cal flashed a relieved smile, the type of smile that seemed to bring sunlight to a dark hangar bay. “Grogu picked Cal.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Grogu adores Cal.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please stop by and say hi, I like it when people say hi- <a href="https://ironhoshi.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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